Aug 13, 2024 | Activities
Dear Music Box Friends,
Hello…. it’s me… not Adele, but Lynn!
I was wondering if after all these weeks you’d like to sing
A new hello song
They say that the start of class is great
for singing a hello song
Hellooooooo…. Can you hear me?
Yes! This week is all about hello songs. Many of you commented that you liked our new hello song video we posted last week. In case you missed it, check out “Sing Hello” below.
By popular demand, we have “Sing Hello” for you as our free download this week. We have ideas for both early childhood and elementary aged students complete with Orff Instruments. We know your students will love this hello song.
I love the use of a hello song to start your class, but it is so much more than just a greeting. Think of it as a friend that visits each class all year but in different ways. You can use the hello song as:
- a classroom management
- directions for putting instruments away
- solo singing
- name games
- movement activities
Check out my blog which is all about the ways you can use a hello song.
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Are you already starting to plan your concerts for the year? We have 3 great concert themes with complete detailed plans:
They are all available for instant download. Start your concert planning today!
Have a great week!
Aug 13, 2024 | Activities
Recorder, from an Orff approach, is a new category coming to the downloads in www.lynnkleinersmusicbox.com. The recorder class is an exciting experience for students as it goes from movement to singing to instrument playing to recorder playing. It even includes stories. Recorder is just an extension of the Orff music classes. Echos, question/answer phrasing, improvisation, ostinatos, harmony is a part of the music making. Reading music is a part of the game like atmosphere. The first time experience for recorder, or the third, fifth or ninth experience with recorder class is NOT “Take out your books and turn to page 10.” Recorder from an Orff approach is exciting, its creative, its full of surprises as this wonderful historical wind instrument is added to the Orff instruments. Look to this new Music Box category for lessons, songs and teaching tips for recorder. www.lynnkleinersmusicbox.com
Aug 13, 2024 | Activities
For the complete story, music and video of a performance, go to www.lynnkleinersmusicbox.com to DOWNLOADS and VIDEOS. Orff instruments can easily accompany this story, even Music Rhapsody’s one octave colored glockenspiels would be great for a glissando when the clowns pop up. Children can also easily play from high C to low C, one note at a time, when they go down. A bordun can be played on a lower Orff instrument for an easy accompaniment to the Little Clown song, playing the biggest C and G on the beat. Jingle Bells can accompany when the clowns dance. For the performance on the video, I played a keyboard on a vibraphone setting for the bell like quality, like a celeste, for the little clown. The children knew both songs very well before they ever heard the story since Little Clown and “And He Dances” are ones we use for our pitch matching in our weekly music classes.
The classroom teachers were very supportive in organizing the making of the elf hats and clown collars as well as the toymaker’s costume. The children loved presenting the story to the parents. Because it is so short, it is very age appropriate. If a longer version is desired, have the clowns pop up with other kinds of faces such as scared, angry, surprised, etc. You can have a great discussion with the kids on emotions in telling the story. The more the chidlren exagerate their faces, the more entertaining for the audience.
Several Music Rhapsody teachers are presenting this story for their holiday performance. One of our teachers is making the collars out of over sized coffee filters. I hope they will share some tips of how they introduced this to their classes. I’m so happy we were able to share Elizabeth’s school performance with Music Box members!
Aug 13, 2024 | Activities
A Music Box Teacher has asked about World Music for a Concert Theme for Preschoolers. I think this is also a great topic for preschool music lessons too. Though this discussion is in the Music Box Forum at www.lynnkleinersmusicbox.com, I thought I would also post in the Music Box Blog to hopefully have as many as possible contribute to this topic. Let me first name a few from www.musicrhapsody.com, www.lynnkleinersmusicbox.com and a few of my favorite resources.
With preschool, it might be nice to have a few instrumental pieces and use an unpitched instrument or simple movement. Doingseveralsongs in different languages might be a challenge for them (and you if they are not especially fun and interesting to the kids!) so I would suggest choosing an instrumental song or two as well. Its great to watch them copy or echo or learn a movement or playing part to go with an instrumental piece. Here’s a few instrumental ideas:
From Music Rhapsody’s Our Favorite Shenanigans CD:
Los Machetes – This is great with our short rhythm sticks. (too difficult and dangerous with long ones!) Click Our Favorite Shenanigans for directions for Preschool and Elementary ideas.There are some other great pieces on this CD with the ideas on this download. Some are very successful for preschoolers. Many countries claim the Bird or Chicken Dance. Perhaps you’d like to include the audience in on this one!
From the Music Rhapsody’s Brilliant Beginnings CD:
Jackson’s Morning Brush (Irish) can be an echo song using hand drums. The teacher gives very simple 4 beat ways to play the hand drum such as hitting with a flat hand, hitting with one finger, swishing the fingers back and forth, hitting with an elbow, hitting on the knee, etc. After the teacher plays 4 beats, the children play 4 beats the exact same way.Don’t forget to ask the children for their ideas on how to play or even consider having some children be the leader!
Powama (Native American) is great with shakers such as maracas or shaker eggs. Follow the teacher or leader to shake high, low, side to side, move in a circular direction, shake with both hands, transfer shaker from hand to hand, etc.
Many of the good materials available for world music are much more appropriate for Elementary Students.However, there are a few I have used from World Music Press that have been successful.
From Patricia Shehan Campbell, Let Your Voice Be Heard contains Kye Kye Kule. This song from Africa is great for echo movement though I usually don’t do this younger than the 4 year olds. In her other collection, Roots & Branches, Bonjour Mes Amis is a wonderful little song to learn basic French phrases. However, you can say “hello my friends” in lots of different languages and do the verses that way instead of all French phrases. Other songs in this beautiful collection can be simplified. The great thing about these collections is they include the CD and great information about the pieces as well as teaching tips.
Aug 13, 2024 | Activities
Introducing Simply Music Rhapsody, a new licensing program for early childhood music teachers. This is an exciting change to my annual music teacher training program and I’d like to share the big news with you!
Early last year, I was introduced to Neil Moore, president of Simply Music International. Over the past several years, teachers had told me that my program had similar principles and goals as his and that Neil and I often said the exact same things in our training programs. When we finally met and learned more about each other’s program, we were excited to work together. Lynn Kleiner’s Music Rhapsody and Simply Music International are thrilled to announce their new musical partnership.
Simply Music is the largest playing-based music education institution in the world, with Licensed Educators at over 700 locations throughout the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. It presents a revolutionary, Australian-developed piano and keyboard method for those who would like to become piano teachers, or who would like to learn how to play piano. This breakthrough program, created by Neil Moore, has students of all ages playing great-sounding blues, contemporary, classical and accompaniment pieces—immediately—from their very first piano lessons.
After working with Neil and the Simply Music program last year, I was certain that this is the program I want for my own students and teachers who use my materials. I have developed “Simply Music Rhapsody,” an early childhood music program for children from infants through elementary school, based on the Orff philosophy. Simply Music and Music Rhapsody have orchestrated a comprehensive, progressive curriculum that addresses each developmental stage and gives children an opportunity to experience themselves as musicians. Their developing musicianship prepares them for Simply Music playing-based piano lessons and other formal instrument instruction.
Both Music Rhapsody and Simply Music have shared philosophies, the first and foremost being that music making occurs most naturally within a playing-based environment. We believe in building a solid foundation of playing and making music before reading. We are committed to students developing strong improvisation, composition and accompaniment skills. We believe all this is possible because, without exception, everyone is profoundly musical.
The SMR experience is active, joyful and inspiring resulting in students who have a life long love of music. Through every stage of a child’s participation they are encouraged to express themselves musically.
Simply Music and Music Rhapsody together have the power to change the culture of music education. The philosophies, the music and the concepts from the two programs have been woven together providing a seamless flow from the very earliest stages, continuing through the musical journey .
We are excited to have formed this partnership and look forward to bringing Simply Music Rhapsody to music teachers and the thousands of students they impact with music.
You do not need to be a licensed Simply Music Teacher to be a licensed Simply Music Rhapsody teacher but hopefully you would have someone that would teach the piano program in your community.
I will be offering 3 trainings this summer to those wishing to become a licensed teacher.
June 28, 29, 30 Redondo Beach, California (this is instead of the 6 day training, days are 4 hours longer, 8am-6pm)
August 16, 17, 18 Salt Lake City, Utah
August 23, 24, 25 New York City, New York
The summer training will include the first ten detailed lesson plans for 5 separate age groups, birth to age 5, including Lynn’s tips for teacher, educational tips for parents, lyric sheets, printed music, DVD of every activity showing Lynn teaching her students, new materials and new recordings, piano music from Simply Music incorporated in the weekly lesson, classroom visuals, CDs for the teacher for each lesson and more!
The details on this program will be available March 1,2012 at www.musicrhapsody.com.
